Battery



Patented Mar. 4, 1947 BATTERY Gerald James, Sycamore, "111., assignor,by'

mesne assignments, to Ideal Industries, Inc., Sycamore, 111., acorporation of Delaware Original application April 10, 1943, Serial No.

482,581. Divided and this application September 22, 1944, Serial No.555,286- 7 This invention relates to'st'orage batteries, and

has for its object to provide a new and improved device of thisdescription.

3 Claims. (Cl. 136-6) The invention has as af urtherobject to provide awet type battery with means for preventing the electrolyte from leakingout at either end of the casing.

The invention'has as a'further object to provide a wet type battery forvarious uses and.

which is particularly adapted to be used in connection with aflashlight.

The invention has as a further object to provide anefiicent, durable andself-contained wet battery which can be moved into any desired andnecessary position.

The invention has further objects which are more particularly pointedout'inthe accompanying description.

Figure ,1 is a longitudinal sectional view through one form of batteryembodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the battery shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the battery shown in Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer to the several figures.

In the particular construction shown there is a casing I, which ispreferably made of some plastic material which is transparent orsemitransparent. One plastic material which gives very satisfactoryresults is methyl methacrylate, having a trade name Lucite. It is, ofcourse,

like parts throughout evident that the casing may be made of othermaterial.

Within thecasing are the plates 2 and 3, which are preferably of gridform; ,plate 2 being the negative plate and plate '3 the positive plate.Connected with the plate 2 is the lead 4, and connected with the plate 3is the lead 5. nPlaced withinthecasing and surrounding the plates is anabsorbent material 6 for the electrolyte. This absorbent material maybe, for example, glass wool. Located between the plates 2 and 3 is aseparating device which consists of material not adversely affected bythe electrolyte, which may be of rubber or wood for example.

As herein shown, this device consists of the central piece 1 ofrubber,having on opposite sides the woven or felted glass mats 8. There ispreferably a coating of wax ,9 inside the casing I,

extending from the bottom upwardly for a portion of the length of thecasing; The electrolyte is absorbed by the'glass wool which holds it inplace and yet permits it to make proper contact with the plates 2 and 3.

The casing l is preferably provided with an integralbottom II], whichhas an inwardly projecting recessed portion 1 l Screw threaded into thisrecess is a metal plug l3, which has an enlarge'd head M on the exteriorof the casingl and which fits tightly against the bottom of the easin'gwhen theplug is screwed into position. There is a positive stem washerl2 extending across the top of the inwardly projecting recessed portion. There is an opening'through the member i2 and through the plug 13,into which the lead 5 is received and is sealed tightly therein. Thissealing may be accomplished in any desired manner. As herein shown; thissealing is done by means of a pitch seal l2a which is preferablyapplied" in a hot condition so that it covers the end of the metal plugl3 and .passes downpartly therealongin the screw threads and has asealingfit with the lead 5 to insurea complete seal and prevent withescape of any liquid from the casing I. There is also preferably a pitchseal Ma between the enlarged head M of the plug l3 and thebottom of thecasing I. r

The glass wool -6 only partially fills the easing, there being at thetop an empty space 15. Extemiie aem t seei in proximity to e top surface'of theglass wool is a washer 16, the periphery of which fits tightlyagainst the inner surface of. the casing I, through which the lead sses.e r l w t f t h .fiisfi f th sealing material 16a. This washer isprovided with a series of openings l1- spaced around the washer andlocated at a distance from its periphery (see .Fig. 3), and ispreferably provided with a hub portion l8. A funnel member i9 is locatedabove the washer I6 .and has a tight fit at the edges with the interiorface of the casing 1. This funnel has a central openinglfl and aprojecting hubinaprovidedwith one or'more projections 2l,.which. engagethe Qhub IB of the fwasher 16.

Mountedupon the-lead 4, above the opening 20 in the funnel member I9, isa battle washer 22, which has a tight non-leaking fit with the lead 4,and which is somewhat larger than the opening 20 in the funnel memberIS. The washer I6, funnel member 19, and bafile washer 22, ashereinafter set out, prevent the electrolyte from leaking out of thecasing when the battery is turned upside down. The casing I is open atthe top and is provided with a cover 23 which is arranged to have ,aleak-tight connection with the casing l.

This cover is provided with a central opening having interior threads,and there is a plug 24 threaded into this opening, which has an enlargedhead 25 which engages the wall around the opening. The lead 4 passesthrough this plug and has a leak-tight connection therewith.

Connected to the cover 23 by a leak-tight conbaffle member 25 throughwhich the lead 4 passes and which has, "atits end the opening 21 Atoneside of the nection is a funnel shaped opening in the cover for theplug llfl is another opening with internal screw threads into which isreceived a tube 28 having screw threads for engaging the screw threadsof the opening.

There is a' washer 28a which is engaged by the enlarged end of the tube28 so as to make atight joint. This washer is of any suitable materialingtherethrough. Water or electrolyte may be,

add-ed to the casing by removing the tubes and 301M161 inserting theliquid through the opening thus produced. The liquid then passes throughthe opening 21 and into the funnel member 29 and through the openings2i! and 2131), and

through the openings ll into the spacecontaining the glass wool 6.

If the battery is turned on its side, for exampl;e, the peripheryportion of the Washer l8 acts to prevent the liquid from running out. Ifthe battery is turned upside down and there is any ;-su=rplus liquidtherein this liquid will pass through the openings I1 andbe stopped bythe funnel washer 4-9. Ifthere should be su-fiicient liquid to -fill'thespace betweenthe funnel washer l9 and the washer I6 to alevel beyond theopenings 201), this liquid would then pass through the opening ZG-andbediverted by the washer 22 so thatit would pass-in between the funnelshapedbaffle -member-23 and the inner face of thecasing i,

and thus-be preventedirom escaping from the casing I. If there -.-sh'ou1d be enough :liquid to .reachthe opening 21 inthe member 26, thissuriunnelshaped-memberw and would be held in he casing. lf there shouldbe sufficient liquid to rise above theopening 29in the tube 28, theliquid would'th'en pass into the tube.2;8 andstill beheld in the casingby the tube 3D. It will thus be seen that liquid cannotescape', but thatgas from the casing can escape out th'roug'hthe passagewaygl ,y. H

lhetpositive plate is preferably larger in volurne or material thanfthe'negative plate and is usually made 25% larger in volume.

'Thisapplication is a division of my co-pendmg application482,58'I-fil'ed April 10, 1943.

I claim:

plusliquid would pass into the interior of the 1. In cdmbiiration in abattery having a ca srug; positive and negative plates in said casing,

within said hollow projection so that no part of d the plug projectsinto the interior space of the casing, a lead extending from one of saidplates into said plug and having a liquid-tight connection therewith,anda laterally extended, generally fla't member insealed relation aboutsaid lead and in sealed relation with the upper surface of said hollowprojection.

*2. In combination in a battery having a casing, positive and negativeplates in said casin absorbent material surrounding said plates forabsorbing a liquid electrolyte, a cover for said casing, said Casinghaving a bottom integral therewith,- said .bottom' havingv an inwardlyprojecting hollow part with internalscrew threads, a

plug having a threaded part which engages the screw threads in saidhollow projection'so that no part of the plug .projects into theinterior space of the casing, a lead extending from one of platesthrough .saidcross member and into said .plug and having a liquid-tightconnection therewith and a washer on the interior of the casingsupported by the inwardly projecting hollow part of said bottom andhaving an opening in which said lead is received with a liquid-tightconnection.

V 3. In combination in a battery having a casing, positive and negativeplates in said casing,

absorbent material surrounding said plates for absorbing a liquidelectrolyte, acover for said casing, said casing having a bottomintegral therewith, said bottom having an inwardly projecting hollowpart with internal screwthreads, a plug having a threadedpart with screwthreads thereon which engage the screw threads in said hollowprojection, the hollow projection surrounding thethreaded part ofsaidplug sothat nosp'art of the plug projects into the interior spaceof thecasing, a lead extendingfrom one of saidlplates through said crossmember and into said, plug and having a liquid-tight connectiontherewith, and a washer on'the interior of the casing supporte'dby saidinwardly projecting part of said bottom and having an opening in whichsaid lead is received with a liquid-tightconnection, the other. platehaving a part which rests ,upon said washer 1 I ,7 a enmrnwsmsREFERENCES CITED The following references; are of record-Lin the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

